Annacamp’s Weblog

Launched on April 7, Pitchfork.tv is an extension of Pitchfork Media, a website devoted to record reviews of indie music, as well as news and features about the latest music. Pitchfork.tv includes scores of music videos, interviews with music artists, shows and clips from live performances. Additions will soon be added, such as personal playlists capabilities and a merge with the parent site, pitchforkmedia.com. URL: http://pitchfork.tv

After serving on the Elkhart city council for four years and sitting in city hall for eight, Dave Miller, former mayor of Elkhart, has finally stepped down. Miller accomplished much in his term. He describes his greatest accomplishments as the things they built, mentioning the River walk, including the new ice rink and the first railroad underpass in years. He also talked about the relationships built and the reorganization done. Dave Miller, as many Elkhartians remember, was very outspoken about his religious beliefs. Unlike many politicians today, who try to mask their religious beliefs to appear neutral, Miller embraced his, bringing them to work every day.

“A person cannot separate himself from who he is,” Miller said. “The myth that politics are no place for spirituality has caused many problems in our country today.”

Miller backed up this statement around 2001 when the monumental Ten Commandments, placed in front of the city’s municipal building in 1958, was attacked. The Commandments, which were erected to help denote juvenile delinquency at the time, conflicted with the First Amendment. Many believed it was not historical, like the other monuments around the buildings, but religious. Many almost identical monuments erected, including another in Indiana, were attacked for the same reasons and the monuments had to be taken down. Miller would not have this. As mayor, he believed that it was his responsibility to protect it.

“When the city owned 10 commandments monument was under attack, it was appropriate to protect it,” Miller said. “And I did, all the way to the Supreme Court.”

Miller believes that laws were established because of the Ten Commandments. Without the Ten Commandments, there would be no basis for laws or order.

“Would you want to live in a country where they did not follow the Ten Commandments?” Miller said. “Anarchy and death are consequences.”

Miller was never timid when it came to religion although he agrees it should be used with careful discretion.

“You must be discreet and respectful,” Miller said. “You are not free in the US to say things that threat the president, for example. Free speech has its limits.”

Miller says it is different when speaking in a church, for example, to talk about religion.

“I am more open when visiting churches than at city council meetings,” Miller said. “There is a place for preaching and a place where you should be silent.”

The best advice Miller can give to any politician is to exercise good judgment, as well as discretion.

“Wise leaders exercise discretion,” Miller said. “A wise person measures words to be appropriate to his audience.”

When talking about the Almighty, Miller says it all boils down to one’s own relationship with Him.

“It all boils down to an individual’s tension with God,” Miller said. “The culture of the United States, the people who deny spirituality and God and who do not want to answer to God discover later on they will be mistaken. I fear for that.”

Miller now works at Verizon Transportation. Dick Moore has taken Miller’s place as mayor of Elkhart.

            Though not yet public knowledge, George Dyer (superintendent) announced to teachers this morning, March 11, 2008, that Bryan Waltz (associate principal) will be promoted to principal of Concord South Side elementary school. A replacement has not yet been determined, though according to Waltz, his position will be posted.

            More on this story will be reported on at a later date.

“I could be happy the rest of my life with a cinnamon girl…” That’s ok for you, Neil Young, but I prefer two cinnamon boys, both named Pete. In company with Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Kenan and Kel, Pete and Pete is one of the products of 90s Nickelodeon, back in the day before all 10-year-old kids had cell phones and iPods, before plasma screens and Myspace. Pete and Pete follows the antics of two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, in their surreal world full of interesting characters. The show ran from 1993 to 1996 and was rerun on The N from 2002 to 2003.

The show is a narration from the point of view of the oldest Pete, aka Big Pete. Characters other than the Petes include their parents, mom and dad, Big Pete’s best friend Ellen, Little Pete’s friend, Nona and Artie, the Strongest Man in the World. Several unconventional characters mentioned in the opening credits are mom’s plate, a metal plate in the Pete’s mom’s head, and Petunia, a tattoo on Little Pete’s left forearm who is an excellent dancer.

My favorite episode has to be “Time Tunnel,” which takes place on the day Daylight Savings Time ends. While Big Pete attempts to make a move on Ellen (with the help of “Endless” Mike Hellstrom), Little Pete tries to time travel. The best line in the show comes from Mike, who states, “No fog, no fun” when Big Pete asks for advice at the drive-in.

Seasons one and two are available on DVD, while season three is waiting to be released. Allow yourself to reminisce about the days when you would watch Double Dare and wish you could get slimed. 

Dear Reader,

This second trimester of JLab 140 juggling a magazine, weekly newsletter as well as online content has proved tough, as it always is. My personal views on this place have changed dramatically, beginning with the last issue of the first trimester. It may be because I am dating someone, it may be because I have changed and don’t care anymore, but I honestly think it is because working together with a group of people who have such different personalities (and not getting paid for it) drives me crazy.

My favorite issue was probably the dauntless issue. I liked it because it made sense to high school students. Unlike the bilingual and China issues, which were beautiful and had nothing wrong with them, the dauntless issue was entertaining to high school students. I also thought it was the best organized, even if Kelly and Alix hated each other by the end of it. It was also the only issue to go out on time. To pick a best or worse story isn’t really possible, because it did not feel good about any of my stories, except my reviews, which aren’t even real stories.

My only hopes for next trimester are a change, especially of people and attitudes. I think this publication would succeed if there were no tension between editors, writers, and basically people. We all, myself included, need to get over this high school crap of not liking each other and try to put out a publication. After all, that is what we’re here to do. Generate that content!

With love,

Anna Camp

When rumor of a new Radiohead album arose, fans began salivating for Tom Yorke’s falsetto vocals and wishing Jonny Greenwood would try to ruin another song with his aggressive down strums (listen to the guitar on “Creep” and you’ll know what I mean). Soon, Radiohead finished recording. They called it In Rainbows.

The band’s contract with EMI was fin and they started recording on their own in early 2005. They began to debut songs at local sets and continued writing the rest of the album, including songs for the second disk, which would be released with the discbox set. The album was first released online, in an avant-garde fashion. Fans could actually name the price of the download. Many chose the price of £0, but some actually bought the download and in doing so applauded the efforts of releasing an album without any support from a record company.

The first song “15 Step” is a mixture of steady beats, slidy guitar riffs and repetitive lyrics paired with the cheering of children. With its energy and ability to mesmerize you with percussion, it is a perfect song to start the album. Following “15 Steps” is “Bodysnatchers.” The song starts off with a strong beat. Then Yorke’s vocals come in, much lower than normal. The song seems to revolve around Colin Greenwood’s bass. Only for a moment does the bass seem to fade for a softer sound. When one thinks nude, they think stripped, bare and minimal. Track three entitled “Nude” is anything but. Though a simple song, it differs from the rest of the album in a very special way. About two minutes and 30 seconds into the song, string instruments erupt in the background, then leaves room for a solo by Yorke before it fades out.

Introduced by Phil Selway’s drumsticks, “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” was one of the first songs on the album to catch my ear in a profound way. With lyrics like, “I’d be crazy not to follow where you lead” and “everybody leaves if they get the chance and this is my chance,” this song captivates any listener to simply sit and listen to Yorke’s ballad. “All I Need” marks the halfway point in the album. Almost every Radiohead album has a song in which the listener feels like they wrote it. This is In Rainbow’s. A sister to Pablo Honey’s “Been Thinking About You,” “All I Need” makes a listener feel like they are listening in on a hopeless fight between a couple. It reminds me of life.

“Faust Arp” feels like the listener is being pulled back and forth. Yorke sings the lyrics as if he is just reading them, just is a very high voice. As in “Nude,” the string orchestra is present towards the end. “Reckoner” consists mostly of Yorke’s famous falsetto vocals. Though it does not stick out in the album, it is pure genius nonetheless. “House of Cards,” the first single on the album, just sounds like Radiohead and a listener would be able to tell if they heard it for the first time. With the line “I don’t want to be your friend, I just want to be your lover,” one must question whether the author was listening to a little bit too much Bright Eyes circa Lifted. “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” reminds me of a twangy country song being played under a Radiohead song. Wrapping up In Rainbows is “Vidoetape,” a soft ballad that starts out with a piano and a familiar voice and softly brings the listener down from the In Rainbows high.

The album is no longer available for free download online but can be bought almost anywhere (as seen at Target) or ordered at inrainbows.com.

Delightful banter, brutal honesty and the awkwardness of getting knocked up while still in high school are all displayed magnificently in the indie-turned-mainstream film Juno. Directed by Jason Reitman, credited most recently for the dark comedy Thank You for Smoking, and written by Diablo Cody, Juno trails the life of Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), a strange tomboy with a vocabulary straight out of the Midwest. The film follows Juno through pregnancy tests, almost abortions, finding parents to adopt her child, throwing up blue slushies and much more while still having all the elements of a good movie: comedy, drama, tension and good music.

The elements in this movie are typical, yet the ways they are portrayed are almost invisible in mainstream cinema. Juno does not cry when she finds out she is pregnant; she handles it more maturely than most adults. The adoptive parents (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) are found in the local PennySaver. The writing, Cody’s first screenplay, uses hilarious phrases, such as Juno telling a dog to “shut your frickin’ gob!” The dialogue sounds like a high school student wrote the entire script, which Page delivers with a superb and quirky elegance, while still managing to be sweet once in a while.

Another charming element of the movie is the cinematography. The opening credits consisted of a Kimya Dawson song and an animated Juno walking around town drinking Sunny-D. The last scene is Juno and her best friend/boyfriend/baby’s daddy (Michael Cera, aka George Michael of Arrested Development), playing guitar and singing “Anyone Else But You” by the Moldy Peaches. The soundtrack, an indie paradise, includes songs by Kimya Dawson, Belle and Sebastian, Cat Power, The Velvet Underground, Buddy Holly, Sonic Youth, The Kinks and many more.

Juno seems to be a breath of fresh air from the P.S I Love You’s and Cloverfield’s which are captivating audiences for all the wrong reasons. To see Juno is to make Juno your new favorite movie. Or at least top five.

The minuteman meal provides a cheap, healthy way of eating for CHS students. Along with being tasty, the meal follows the state guidelines.

“There is a different meal so there is a different choice.” Cathy Puterbaugh (food service manager and director) said.

Contrary to popular belief, the minuteman meal is not only for students who get free and reduced lunch.

“Free and reduced can get anything.” Puterbaugh said.

The meal is based on several things.

“It is based on cost and amount of time,” Anita Lane (food service assistant manager) said. “[Also based on] staff and how easy it is to clean up.”

The meal also goes by what food is popular and requests by students.

Anna Campanello

The Freshman Academy has over a thousand books to choose from. However, that is still not enough. Hence the second annual book fair. Run by Becca Roberts (English teacher) and volunteers from the Freshman Academy classes, the book fair, along with other objectives, is to raise money for a new classroom library.

“We teamed up with Salvation Army Adopt a family,” Roberts said. “We’re hoping to donate 500 books to put in gift baskets.”

The weight of the book fair, however, is not rested on Roberts’ shoulders. Student volunteers in Freshmen Academy lending a helping hand.

“Students are marketing, setting up and running the raffle, some are making t-shirts,” Roberts said. “They also contacted the local news and are doing a public service announcement on Concord Live.”

Students prove to be positive and excited about the opportunity.

“It looked like fun and it is for a good cause.” Shakiyla Duesler (9) said. “I’m making cupcakes for whoever donates a book.”

The schedule for the book fair is as followed:

Tuesday-9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Wednesday-9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Anna Campanello